Walking mechanism for dolls



Feb; 28. 1956 WALKING MECHANISM FOR DOLLS Filed Dec. 1, 1953 R. GARDEL ET AL 2,736,135

3 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN V EN TORS Feb. 28. 1956 R. GARDEL ET AL WALKING MECHANISM FOR DOLLS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 1, 1953 If 84 3/2/2 MW IN V EN TORS Mun,

Feb. 28. 1956 R. GARDEL ET AL 2,736,135

WALKING MECHANISM FOR DOLLS Filed Dec. 1, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 IN V EN TORS W 4 BY ATTORNEYS United States Patent 2,736,135 WALKING MECHANISM FOR DOLLS Robert Gardel, New York, and Arthur Rogovin, Far Rockaway, N. Y., assignors to Delgar Inc., Brooklyn, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application December 1, 1953, Serial No. 3%,374 10 Claims. (Ci. 46-149) This invention relates to walking mechanism for dolls and has for one of its objects the provision of leg mountings which cause the legs to swing forward and backward along straight line paths, instead of along arcuate paths.

Another object is to provide such mechanism in which the parts are particularly strong and durable and resistant against loosening or deformation in normal use.

A further object is to provide such mechanism in combination with leg mountings permitting the legs to be moved to sitting or splitting positions, and with headmoving means.

Another object is to provide certain improvements in the form, construction and arrangement of the several parts whereby the above-named and other objects may effectively be attained.

In walking dolls, as now commonly made, the legs are mounted in the lower part of the body on axes which are normal to the planes of the leg openings. Since these openings are usually not in the bottom of the body but are between the bottom and sides, they lie at an angle to the horizontal and the leg-mounting axes are correspondingly slanted inward and upward. This causes the legs, and particularly the feet, to move between their forward and backward positions along arcuate paths, with a resulting awkward and unrealistic elfect. The mechanism disclosed herein overcomes this defect and has other desirable characteristics.

Practical embodiments of the invention are shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 represents a front elevation of a doll, the straightswinging leg motion being indicated by the full-line and broken-line position of one leg;

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic view, from the front, of a leg hinge device illustrating in elementary form the principle of the invention;

Fig. 3 is a side view of the elementary device of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a side view, with parts broken away, of a doll body and leg comprising the walking mechanism of this invention;

Fig. 5 is a front view, with parts broken away, of the doll body, legs and mechanism of Fig. 4;

Fig. 5a is a perspective view on an enlarged scale showing a detail of the leg mounting;

Fig. 6 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line VIVI of Fig. 5, looking downward;

Fig. 7 is a detail vertical sectional view taken on the line VIIVII of Fig. 5, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 8 is a side elevation of half of a doll body having a modified form of walking mechanism mounted therein;

Fig. 9 is a rear elevation of the body and mechanism shown in Fig. 8;

Fig. 10 is a diagrammatic front elevational detail illustrating the functioning of the leg mounting of Figs. 8 and 9, and

Fig. 11 is a horizontal section taken on the line XIXI of Fig. 10.

Referring to the drawings, it will be observed in Fig. 1 that the doll body 1 has the legs 2 mounted thereon through openings lying in planes which are about 45 from the horizontal. If the legs were mounted on axes (AB and A--B') normal to said planes, the straight vertical legs would, in effect, generate conic surfaces as 2,736,135 Patented Feb. 28, 1956 they move backward and forward in a walking motion, with the feet passing over arcuate paths in the plane of the ground. It is the purpose of the present invention to hinge the legs for walking motion about a horizontal axis CD so that the legs will move in vertical planes, with the feet following straight paths in the plane of the ground, as indicated by the full-line and broken-line positions of one of the legs shown in Fig. 1.

The principle of operation relied on herein is explained in simple form by Figs. 2 and 3, wherein a vertical support mounted near the median vertical plane of the body is represented at 3, a leg is represented by the bent part 4 and a leg mounting member is represented by the triangular part 5. The member 5 is pivoted at 6 on the support 3 for rotation about a horizontal axis C' corresponding to the axis CD of Fig. 1, so that the vertical part of the leg will swing to and fro in a vertical plane, as indicated in Fig. 3. There are obvious anatomical and mechanical reasons which make the arrangement shown more practical and more realistic than some simpler alternatives, such as running a horizontal axle all the way across the body and through the tops of the legs.

Referring to Figs. 4 to 7, the mechanism comprises a vertical support 7, formed by cutting and bending into U-shape (Fig. 6) a metal strip, the sides of which are received at the bottom in slots 8, 8 formed in the base of the doll body. The sides of the support 7 are provided with lugs 9, 9 projecting upwardly and passing with a close fit through slits 10, 10 in a horizontal plate 11, the ends of which are engaged in grooves 12, 12 formed in the sides of the body.

Leg mounting members 13, 13, each formed conveniently by bending a fiat strip of metal so as to provide a vertical inner side, a horizontal upper surface and an inwardly slanting outer side, are rotatably mounted on a single horizontal pivot pin 14, passing through the lower ends of the leg mounting members and through the sides of the support 7, as clearly shown in Fig. 5. The heads of the pin 14 are spaced to permit easy turning of the members 13, 13 but without excessive looseness. On the slanting sides of the members 13, 13 are mounted discs 15, 15 having a flat surface adjacent the members 13, 13 and an opposite surface shaped, for instance, in the form of steps. The discs 15, 15 are secured in place by means of riveted axles 16, 16 around which they can be rotated. Diametrically opposed pairs of radial grooves 17, 17 are formed in the fiat surfaces of the discs, and are adapted to be engaged by lugs 18, 18 on the ends of flat springs 19 19; said springs being mounted, but not rotatable, on the axles 16, 16 (Fig. 5a). Legs 2, 2 are secured, as by cementing, to the stepped surfaces of the discs 15, 15. The grooves 17, 17 are so located that they are engaged by the lugs 18, 18 when the legs are in vertical (standing or walking) position.

Coordination of the legs in their walking motion (as well as side-to-side rocking of the head) is ensured by means of a vertical rod 20, journaled near its lower end in the middle of the plate 11 and near its upper end in a horizontal plate 21, extending across the neck portion of the body. On the lower part of the rod 2% is fixed a rocker plate 22 having radially disposed slots 23, 23 near its ends. Slots 24, 24 extending in the fore-and-aft direction are formed in the plate 11 below the slots 23, 23 and pins 25, 25 are rigidly mounted on the members 13, 13 so as to project, respectively, each through a slot 24 and the'corresponding slot 23.

In operation, the doll containing mechanism as described is held erect and moved forward with a slight sid-e-to-side rocking motion in order to put the weight on the forward foot. As the leg which has been in front swings to the rear, along a straight path according to this invention, the pin 25 on its corresponding member 13 moves forward in its slot 24- and, through engagement in its slot 23, rocks the plate 22 around the axis of the rod 20, causing motion in the opposite direction of the pin, leg mounting member and leg on the opposite side, the driving and driven relation of the respective legs being reversed at each step. Since the rod 20 rocks with the plate 22, the head (not shown) mounted on said rod in any customary manner will also turn from side to side, this feature being well-known.

In order to place the doll in a sitting or split position the legs are forced forward or backward strongly enough to cause the lugs 18 to ride out of the grooves 17; when this has been done the legs can be turned against only moderate resistance to any adjusted positions.

A modified form of mechanism, adapted particularly for smaller or cheaper dolls, is shown in Figs. 8 and 9.

In this form the vertical support is a single fiat plate 26, engaged at its top with a horizontal support 27. The leg mounting members 28, 28 are of lighter construction while still having the essential vertical, horizontal and slanting portions and being pivotally mounted at 29 on a horizontal axis. The pins 30, 30 project through slots in the support 27 and other slots in the rocker plate 31, as before, and the rocker plate is fixed on a rod 32. Said rod is journaled in the support 27 and in an upper support 33, which supports may conveniently be formed integral with a connecting strip 34. The strip 34 serves to hold the rubber bands 35, normally used to connect the dolls arms, out of contact with the rod 32; in a small doll, with short legs, the leverage developed in the walking operation may not be sufiicient to move the mechanism if the heavy rubber bands 35 bear directly against the rod 32. This difiiculty is not encountered in larger dolls with long straight legs.

The members 28, 28 are here shown as being specially shaped in order to provide an additional improvement in operation. This shaping consists in forming the slanting portions so that their front edges lie closer to the plane of the plate 26 than do their back edges. That is, they are slanted not only vertically but also horizontally, as clearly appears in Figs. 9, l and 11. Referring to the diagrammatic Figs. and 11, the angle 11 in a horizontal plane between the portion 28 and plate 26 should approach, but not exceed the angle v in a vertical plane between the same elements. The purpose and effect of this arrangement is to cause the legs, when moved forward to the sitting position, to project straight forward as shown at L in Fig. 11 instead of swinging outward to a widespread straddling position (as results, for instance, from rotation of the legs around the axes AB, AB' in Fig. 1).

It will be understood that the legs, not shown in Figs. 8 and 9, are secured to the members 28, 28 by means of the same (or similar) parts described in connection with Figs. 4 to 7, including the arrangement permitting the legs to be moved to sitting or split positions. It will also be evident that the mechanism of Figs. 8 and 9 operates in the same manner as that previously described and gives the same straight-line motion to the legs in walking.

While the double-slant mounting for the legs has been shown and described in connection with the structure of Figs. 8 and 9, it is evident that the slanting sides of the members 13, 13 (Figs. 4 to 7) could be shaped to have the same double slant, for the same purpose and with the same result. It will also be apparent that the parts 28 (Figs. 8 and 9) could be made to slant only vertically like the sides of the members 13, 13 in Figs. 4 to 7, in cases where the wide-spread sitting position is not deemed objectionable.

What we claim is:

l. A walking doll mechanism comprising, a vertically disposed rigid support adjacent the vertical median plane of the doll body, leg mounting members pivotally mounted on said support for rocking motion about a common horizontal axis, and means reversibly connecting said leg mounting members for simultaneous equal rocking motion in opposite directions, each of said leg mounting members including a fiat vertical part lying against the rigid support and a flat part connected to and inclined away from said vertical part at an angle substantially less than a right angle and provided with leg mounting means.

2. A mechanism according to claim 1 in which said leg mounting means includes a notched disk rotatably supported on said fiat inclined part and spring means engageable with said notched disk for holding the disk releasably in at least one position.

3. A mechanism according to claim 1 in which the means reversibly connecting the leg mounting members includes a horizontally disposed support rigid with respect to said vertical support, a vertical rod journaled in said horizontal support, a radially slotted horizontally disposed rocker fixed on said shaft and pins rigid with the leg mounting members and projecting upwardly therefrom into the slots of the rocker.

4. A mechanism according to claim 3 in which the horizontal support is provided with slots lying approximately at right angles to the slots in the rocker and in which the pins project through said slots.

5. A mechanism according to claim 1 in which the vertical support is constituted by spaced parallel sides rigidly interconnected and in which each leg mounting member includes a horizontal upper part interconnected with the flat vertical part and the flat inclined part to form a member having, in vertical cross-section, a closed outline of generally triangular shape.

6. A mechanism according to claim 5 in which the common horizontal axis is adjacent the lower ends of the leg mounting members, and in which the leg mounting means is pivoted on said flat inclined part above said horizontal axis.

7. A mechanism according to claim 1 in which the vertical support is constituted by a single flat plate and in which each leg mounting member includes a flat vertical part, a flat part inclined away from said vertical part and a pin rigid with said member and projecting upwardly therefrom, the inclined part constituting the only direct connection between the vertical part and the pin.

8. A mechanism according to claim 7 in which the common horizontal axis is adjacent the lower ends of the leg mounting members, and in which the leg mounting 'means is pivoted on said flat inclined part above said horizontal axis.

9. A walking doll mechanism comprising, a vertically disposed rigid support, leg mounting members pivotally mounted on said support for rocking motion about a common horizontal axis and leg mounting means rotatably connected to said members at points lying above the horizontal plane containing said axis, each leg mounting member including a flat part inclined away from said vertical support and also inclined forwardly and inwardly toward the vertical median plane of the doll, each leg mounting means being connected to a respective inclined fiat part for rotation about an axis normal to the plane of said flat part.

10. A mechanism according to claim 9 in which the angle of inclination of the flat parts measured in a horizontal plane is no greater than the angle of inclination measured in a vertical plane.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 507,174. Simonot Oct. 24, 1893 738,628 Reinhardt Sept. 8, 1903 1,273,469 Dunlany July 23, 1918 1,576,956 Dunshee Mar. 16, 1926 2,328,704 Birnbaum Sept. 7, 1943 2,621,443 Black Dec. 16, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 456,888 Italy April 26, 1950 nil 

